Realignment amendment on hold

Wednesday

Apr 24, 2013 at 12:01 AM

SACRAMENTO - A bill proposed by Assemblywoman Susan Eggman, D-Stockton, that would amend California realignment law by sending risky parole violators back to prison was halted in its tracks for further study by the Assembly Public Safety Committee after it heard concerns of prison overcrowding from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Jennie Rodriguez-Moore

SACRAMENTO - A bill proposed by Assemblywoman Susan Eggman, D-Stockton, that would amend California realignment law by sending risky parole violators back to prison was halted in its tracks for further study by the Assembly Public Safety Committee after it heard concerns of prison overcrowding from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Lawmakers are recommending for interim study a bill that proposes to give trial judges the discretion to send parolees back to prison on parole violations for up to one year, instead of the current maximum of 180 days in county jail.

Eggman, the lead author, recently introduced the bill to address community concerns that arose from a shift in responsibility of certain felons from state corrections to county jails and probation departments.

Known as realignment, AB109 was intended to relieve overcrowding and improve conditions in state prisons, but counties are now seeing the overcrowding issue shift to the local jails, resulting in the early release of parolees who sometimes go on to commit serious crimes.

Eggman's proposed amendment to AB109 was reviewed for passage by a committee led by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, on Tuesday.

"There's no question (Ammiano) considers the whole issue an important issue," said Carlos Alcala, a spokesman for Ammiano. "But I think he's feeling that not all the questions can be answered right now.

"Holding this bill for study seems to be the appropriate thing to do at this time."

Alcala said the committee is concerned about the potential impact its passage may have on prison population, possibly adding 60,000 more inmates to a prison system that has been ordered by federal court to decrease populations by nearly 10,000 inmates.

Martin Hoshino, the undersecretary of operations, spoke to the committee Tuesday.

The total population at California's 33 adult prisons was 119,402 as of April 17, equivalent to 149.3 percent of its design capacity, according to Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Eggman's office remains hopeful about the future of her bill, the only Assembly bill attempting to amend provisions of realignment that hasn't been immediately shut down.

"In an ideal world this bill would have passed today," said Christian Burkin, the communications director for Eggman. He said Eggman is looking forward to working with the committee on making adjustments.

"We're hopeful that the process we're in now will yield some sort of solution," Burkin said. "And we appreciate the committee's willingness to work with us."